All right, I had to do it sometime. I'm sure no one will probably check out this page,
but if you do,thanks for doing so! The films listed here are my favorites of all time.
The films were chosen because of their influence and innovation within the medium.
I've included little seen films which I highly recommend. They are all available on home
video and are definitely worth anyone's time.

Since I don't want to pick the best or greatest,they are all in strict alphabetical order...
(shhh,don't tell anyone, but my fave is "The Four Hundred Blows"...)

Well, here I go:

TOP 25 US FILMS (Followed by the film's director)

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone)
The best war film I have ever seen. It is a look at the effects of
war on a group of young men, who are blind to the reality of
war, until the experience them first hand.

2. Amadeus (Milos Forman)
A look at the world of opera, genius, madness and religion. An
amazing picture, it mixes complex human emotions with Mozart's
finest compositions. It has a wonderful cast led by an incredible
tour de force from F. Murray Abraham.

3. Brazil (Terry Gilliam)
Probably the best film of the 80's, it is a "Don Quixote"-like
look at a machine driven future. Influences from Fritz Lang's
masterpiece "Metropolis" can be found here, as well as Gilliam's
complete domination of film.

4. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)
Considered by many the greatest film ever made, it is certainly
one of the best I've seen. Orson Welles, along with a very talented
group of film artist, offers a look at the life of Charles Foster
Kane (based on William Randolph Hearst). The film is revolutionary
in its use of deep focus and depth of field and its use of film
narrative as a powerful tool of political and social critique.
Personally, what stands out the most for me is Welles' brilliant
portrayal/transformation into the elder Kane. He bursts with energy
and sadness. This is one of the most touching performances put on
celluloid.

5. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola)
A pre Watergate look from the creator of "The Godfather", it deals
with loner Harry Caul, and his involvement within a scheme bigger
than anyone knows until the very final frames of the picture. As
Caul, Gene Hackman paints a portraid of the modern American man as
disillusioned and empty, who makes it his mission to find and
rescue the last remaining bits of innocence.

6. Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder)
The best noir film! Every single picture made in this genre has
been influenced by Wilder's film. From "Postman always rings
twice" to "Playing God", this is the daddy of all of 'em. Great
performance by Barbara Stanwick

7. The Exorcist (William Friedkin)
A terrifying look at a world turned upside down. One of the handful
masterpieces of the horror genre, this film raises questions about
God and the devil which sticks in the minds of viewers' long after
watching it. Ellen Burstyn's performance is dead on, and the
make up and special effects are remarkable.

8. Fiddler on the Roof (Norman Jewison)
Pauline Kael called it the most powerful musical ever made. I must
agree. By the end, I was bawling. It contains many memorable
musical moments and the film accomplishes what many musicals never
did, to integrate a dramatic story within the musical genre. Topol
is mesmerizing in the role of Tevye.

9. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)
The Greatest.

10.The Godfather pt. II (Francis Ford Coppola)
The second greatest.

11.Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming)
Four hours of absolute bliss. Viven Leigh is amazing in the role of
Scarlett O'Hara. This story is well known, and I've seen it about
a million times, yet it never loses its power. Four directors
worked on it, among them George Cukor. Final credit, however,went
to Victor Fleming. The cinematography is brilliant and the music
score by Max Steiner is soaring and very much appropriate.

12.The Good, the bad, and the ugly (Sergio Leone)
The best of Leone's "spagetti westerns", it has an awesome score
and is one of the few westerns I truly enjoy. The ending is very
satisfying and the story itself, though simple, is very engaging.

13.Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese)
The film that made me want to become a filmmaker. It is a tour de
force by Scorsese, whose amazing style has been immitated time and
time again by younger directors. This film could be called the sum
total of Scorsese's life in film. It just kicks ass.

14.The Graduate (Mike Nichols)
The interplay between Dustin Hoffman/Ben and Anne Bancroft/Mrs.
Robinson remains one of my favorites to watch. The story may seem
a bit trivial by today's standards, but at the time it came out,
it was nothing short of revolutionary. Great score by Simon &
Garfunkel.

15.Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean)
Peter O'Toole didn't win the Academy Award for his performance
as T.E. Lawrence, one of the greatest injustices of Oscar history.
The film contains a romanticized view of the desert and war, but
when things get a bit too much, there's Lean's hand to guide us
into the realities behind the facades. A simple story told in
grandiose style, it is one of the quickest three hours you'll
spend in front of the tube.

16.Malcolm X (Spike Lee)
Spike Lee's masterpiece, it is too great for words. Denzel
Washington delivers the greatest performance of his career.
Not to mention Delroy Lindo's turn as Red's guide/nemesis
in the underworld.

17.Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger)
One of my favorite films, it is an unflinching look at 1960's
America. Jon Voight plays Joe Buck, a wanna be hustler who
moves to NY in search of a better life. Dustin Hoffman is
Ratso Rizzo, who comes into Buck's life. They both forge a
bond and find common ground in their loneliness and apathy.
The theme song by Nilsson captures the spirit of the piece and
Schlesinger's directing is detached, yet empathtetic.

18.One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Milos Forman)
Few films come close to this one as far as sheer power is
concerned. Jack Nicholson, well in his peak,plays McMurphy,and the
film follows his stay in a mental hospital and how he
changes the lives of all those around him. His nemesis, Nurse
Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher, is the cold head nurse in
his ward, and their battle of control over the other inmmates
ranks amongst the most powerfully depicted relationships in
films' short history.

19.Scarface (Brian De Palma)
A remake of the 1930's classic, it stars Al Pacino as Tony Montana
a Cuban refugee who becomes a powerful drug trafficker. The
script is by Oliver Stone, and what a fine script it is. I love
almost everything about this film, the performances, the
cinematography, the music by Giorgio Morodder, every aspect of it
is remarkable. One of the few films where the violence depicted
is absolutely necessary to understand better the psyche of its
characters.

20.A Streetcar Named Desire (Elia Kazan)
Tennessee Williams' greatest play comes to the screen from
the capable hands of Elia Kazan. The film contains the greatest
ensemble group of actors ever acquired. Referring to Marlon Brando
and Vivien Leigh's performances, Pauline Kael described them as
being "two of the greatest performances every put on film." I
agree wholeheartedly and am mesmerized with every viewing at the
graceful dance these actors perform under the most rigid censorship
cinema would undergo.

21.Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder)
Starring William Holden, a terribly underrated actor and one of my
favorites, this film tells the story of a Hollywood screenwriter
and his relationship with an elderly 'has been' actress. It is to
Wilder's wicked sense of humour that the film is narrated from
ultratomb by Holden, and we never once question this device.
Magnificent dialogue and great performances make this film a must
see.

22.Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
Scorsese won the Palm d'Or at Cannes for this one, and he surely
deserved it. The film touched upon many sensibilities of the
contemporary American audiences and did for film what "Midnight
Cowboy" had done almost a decade earlier, and that was to show
the emptiness in the lives of many Americans and the empty path
this loneliness leads to. Remarkable performances by Robert De
Niro and Jodie Foster. Wonderful score by the late Bernard
Herrmann.

23.The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Phillip Kauffman)
Starring Daniel Day Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin, this
film is a joy to watch. It is intelligent without being
pretentious, sexually free without being gratuitious. The story
is engaging and the music superb. This film should be seen more
than it has.

24.West Side Story (Robert Wise)
My favorite musical, it is the re-telling of "Romeo and Juliet",
now set in New York's West Side. The story deals with rival gangs,
the "Jets", made up of white Americans, and the "Sharks" made up
of recently arrived Puerto Ricans. Rita Moreno's performance won
her an Oscar, the first to go to a Latin woman, and it is a
wondrous experience to see her in this film. The picture contains
a great score by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Songs like "Maria", "America", "Tonight" and "A Place for Us",
put this film at the top of the musical pantheon.

25.The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming)
The most beloved children's film, it has one of Judy Garland's
most beautiful and touching performances, which won her a miniature
Oscar at the age of sixteen. One look at the "Over the Rainbow"
number is enough to set off havoc within one's soul. Beautifully
shot, and sweetly directed, it is a film I never get tired of
seeing.

Honorable Mentions:

- "City Lights" (Chaplin) This picture exists just to prove what
Chaplin's genius was all about. It is a simple story about the little
tramp falling in love with a blind girl who thinks he is a rich man.
Very simple, but extremely moving. The final scene has been lauded as
one of the most powerful scenes ever.

- "The English Patient" (Minghella) A return to epic filmmaking. This
film follows the classical Hollywood film narrative, but gives it a
huge twist. Think of it as "Casablanca" for realists. I love every
single scene in this picture, and the score is one of the most amazing
pieces of music ever written for film. Gabriel Yared's work ranks up
with the likes of Rota and Moriccone.

- "Fame" (Parker) What can I say? I'm a sucker for musicals, and I
just love this one. I think Alan Parker did a wonderful job integrating
drama with musical numbers seamlessly. It is very much an ensemble piece,
but the performances which stood out the most for me were those given by
Irene Cara as "Coco"(my compatriot!) and Gene Anthony Ray as "Leroy."

TOP 25 INTERNATIONAL FILMS

1. An Angel at my Table (Jane Campion) New Zealand:
A unique and original work from a gifted film artist. It tells the
story of Janet Frame, one of New Zealand's most important writers.
The film follows Janet's life from the time she's a small girl in
school, trying to buy friends with candy, to the adult, painfully
shy introvert played by Kerry Fox. It is an insightful look at the
life of a woman who finally learns to appreciate herself.
Remarkable.

2. Au Revoir Les Enfants (Louis Malle) France:
Louis Malle's ode to friendship, it explores the relationship
between a Catholic boy and a Jewish boy within the rising anti-
semetic atmosphere of the 1940's. It is a credit to Malle's genius
that the film is never preachy or overly sentimental.

3. Blue (Krisztoff Kieslowski) France/Poland:
Part I of Kieslowski's "Three Color" trilogy. It stars Juliette
Binoche, who gives one of the most amazingly subtle performances
I've ever seen. The film follows the life of Julie, a woman who
was the sole survivor in a car accident which took the lives of
her young daughter and famous composer husband. As Julie starts
a new life, she discovers things about her past which open her
eyes to her own present. A poetic film if I ever saw one.

4. Cinema Paradiso (Guiseppe Tornatore) Italy:
A delightful, emotional look at the friendship between an old town
projectionist named Alfredo and the young boy he takes under his
wing, Toto. Together they share a passion for the cinema and brave
tragedies and disappointments. A beautifully written, performed and
directed work, it is one of my favorites.

5. The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci) Italy:
Marcello is the confused man of a fascist era. In this adaptation
of the Alberto Moravia novel, Bertolucci transports us into the
rise and fall of fascisim in Italy. The cinematography by Vittorio
Storaro is mind boggling perfection. The blue hue of the film
provides a mystique which translates perfectly the mood of the
piece. The tango scene (one of Bertolucci's motifs) manages to be
sensual and humorous at the same time.

6. Cries & Whispers (Ingmar Bergman) Sweden:
The first Ingmar Bergman film I ever saw, it ranks amongst the
top of his works. The story, inspired by an Edvard Munch painting,
takes place in a large, desolate house, where two sisters and a
nurse take turns in taking care of the sweet sister, Agnes, who's
been ravaged by cancer. As Agnes, Harriette Andersson gives the
film its soul. As Maria, Liv Ullmann paints a portrait of child-
like vanity and hollowness. Ingrid Thulin as Karin, is the stern
cold and unfeeling sibling, but inmersed in guilt by her inability
to show love. Sven Nykvist's cinematography is breathtaking, as
always. And Bergman's direction is flawless, and ultimately,
heartbreaking.

7. La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini) Italy:
Inspired by Dante's works, this films stands up as the greatest
Italian film ever made. Everything going on today with celebrities,
fame, fortune, promiscuity, it is all here. Marcello Mastroianni
plays Marcello, a gossip reporter in the entertainment circles of
Rome. The film has no specific plot or trama, and it works more as
a compilation of vignettes and ocurrences all linked by Marcello.
The film touches upon the themes of death, friendship, perversion,
love or the lack of it, and fear of one's self. A brilliant
accomplishment.

8. Europa, Europa (Agnieszka Holland) Germany:
Marco Hoffschneider plays young Solomon, who in order to avoid
being sent into the ghettos of WWII Germany, hides his true Jewish
identity. Solly gets into all sorts of close call situations, but
I must state that if it seems a bit unbelievable, you should know
that the film is based on the autobiography of Solomon Perel. Rich
in textures and colors, the film offers an objective view at the
other side of Germans, through the eyes of one Jewish boy.

9. Flirting (George Miller) Australia:
A beautiful story set in 1960's Australia. The film deals with the
relationship that develops between two young students. The story
is very smart and confirms the fact that physical or racial
differences don't mean anything once two people connect
emotionally. Nicole Kidman's turn as the snotty student is awesome.

10.The Four Hundred Blows (Francois Truffaut) France:
My favorite film of all time. I don't get tired of saying that!
I saw it four years ago(on Bravo, in its widescreen format!!) and
was absolutely mesmerized by what I saw. This is the exact type
of film I'd like to make one day. It is simple, honest and
devastating. Jean Pierre Leaud is Antoine, a young boy whose never
seen the ocean, reads Balzac, and seems to get into all kinds of
troubles. Much has been written about this film , and rightly so.
The acting is superb, the music is touching and Truffaut's
direction is refreshing and innovative. This film was the crowning
achievement of the "New Wave" movement in France.

11.Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson) New Zealand:
The story about the real life case of Pauline Parker and Juliette
Hulme, two young girls whose friendship became so intense that
at the point of risking being separated,they plot to kill one of
the girl's mother and succeed in doing so. Jackson's style is
exhilirating to no end. It's one of those films that feel like a
an amusement park ride. The performances by Kate Winslet and
Melanie Lynskey (debut performances for both) are incredible!!!!
I cannot believe this film was so ignored by all the awards
entities. This is a definite must see for anyone who likes
innovative, avant garde cinema.

12.The Hour of the Wolf (Ingmar Bergman) Sweden:
My favorite Bergman film. PLEASE SEE THIS! It is awesome. It deals
with the story of Johan, a painter, and his descent into madness.
The film has elements of horror, Goth, Supsense and mystery, all
merged into one undescribable filmic experience.

13.Jules et Jim (Francois Truffaut)France:
Truffaut's most romantic and ultimately tragic film. It is a
revolutionary picture, and a classic in the French film pantheon.
A story about friendship, love and especially women. A woman in
particular, played by Jeanne Moreau, who becomes the idealized
version of the female gender for generations to come. The ending
is a knock out, completely surprising, but quite effective.

14.Last Tango in Paris (Bernardo Bertolucci) Italy/France:
BRILLIANT! Marlon Brando gives the greatest performance ever put
on film, as Paul, an expatriate American living in France, whose
wife has just committed suicide. Ambling through the streets, he
finds a young woman named Jeanne. They find an apartment which
becomes a meeting place where they experiment and tear all the
thick layers of superficiality. This is Bertolucci's masterpiece.

15.Law of Desire (Pedro Almodovar) Spain:
A story of love. That's all I can really say. It is awesome, a trip
into a world I'd never seen. It has the usual Almodovar elements
of murder and police detectives, but at the core is a performance
by Carmen Maura: a woman playing a transsexual. This is a definite
worth while film!

16.Memories of Underdevelopment (Tomas Gutierrez Alea) Cuba:
A brilliant look at Cuba during the beginning of the Castro
regime. The story is told from the point of view of Sergio,
the "Belmondo-like" archetype of disenchanted loners, uncapable
of loving, beacuse of his ability to see through people's
artifices, but never his own.

17.My Life as a Dog (Lasse Hallstrom) Sweden:
Heartbreaking. I love this film. It follows young Ingemar, who
is thrown around from place to place (hence the title) after his
mother becomes too ill to take care of him. Ingemar is a shy, but
intelligent boy, and the narration, told in metaphors, captures
the spirit of children's innocence and wisdom.

18.Naked (Mike Leigh) UK:
Probably the scariest film I have ever seen. It is very disturbing,
but a valid statement from our modern world about how people use
and discard each other. Filled with the "fear of the millenium"
syndrome, it is distrubing because it is all so real. Not an
easy watch by any means, since you'll probably end up feeling that
the world is even more fucked up than you could ever imagine.

19.The Nasty Girl (Michael Verhoven) Germany:
A factual docudrama-like film. The visuals in this one are so
cool, they'll stick in your mind for a long while. Lena Stolze is
the young protagonist, who discovers many hidden secrets of her
small German town and how their claims regarding their actions
during WWII were as manufactured as her own facade.

20.Persona (Ingmar Bergman) Sweden:
An experimental Bergman film which proves that the man could excell
in any given genre. Liv Ullman plays an actress who refuses to talk
after a performance of "Elektra". She moves to the country
accompanied by a young nurse, played by Bibi Andersson. During
their stay, the two women almost become one with the other. The
film is very erotic and tastefully shot by Sven Nykvist. The story,
though simplistic on the surface, emerges as a detailed study of
female bonding and its often devastating results.

21.The Piano (Jane Campion) New Zealand:
Few films of the 90's come close to this one. It stars Holly Hunter
in a performance which earned her the Oscar and the Best Actress
prize at Cannes among many other awards. It is the story of a
self imposed mute who moves to New Zealand with her small daughter
to marry a landowner. Baines, a neighbor, becomes infatuated with
Ada and after obtaining Ada's beloved piano, her only means of
communications, he promises to give it back in exchange for sexual
favors. The film is very intelligent and never exploitive. The
performances are top notch, from Sam Neill to Harvey Keitel to
Academy Award winner Anna Paquin, who gives one of the best
performances when it comes to a child's acting.

22.The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice) Spain:
A neglected gem, this film is absolute perfection,the closest thing
to a dream-like film I've seen. It takes place in a village in a
Spain under the Franco regime. "Frankestein" is shown at a tiny
theatre and amongst the many children are two young sisters, Ana
and Isabel. Ana, the youngest, becomes fascinated by the monster
and the story follows her search for him. It is hard to find a
film as great as this one. And Ana Torrent is unbelievably
brilliant and bewitching in her role.

23.La Strada (Federico Fellini) Italy:
Giulietta Masina, Fellini's wife and acknowledged muse, plays a
young innocent girl named Gelsomina. Anthony Quinn plays Zampano,
a circus performer and brute. The story is about purity against
brutality and the performances are unforgettable. The music, a few
repeated notes by Nino Rota is achingly touching and ultimately
bittersweet.

24.Un Coeur en Hiver (Claude Sautet) France:
A relevant work from master Sautet, "A Heart in Winter" is the
story of a man's inability to love, and the people he almost
destroys through his actions. It is a very intelligent film which
introduced me to the talents of Emmanuelle Beart and Daniel Ateuil.
Remarkable and sad, depressing and real.

25.Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Pedro Almodovar) Spain:
A farce if I ever saw one. The usual Almodovar suspects are all
here from Carmen Maura to Antonio Bandera and the film is an
absolute roller coaster ride. The plot is too absurd to even try to
explain, but there lies its genius. The sets and the cinematography
are all tacky and scandalous, perfect foils for the trama!

Honorable Mentions:

- "Pixote" (Babenco)Brazil:
This film, in my opinions, embodies the expression
"packing a punch." It is an unbelievable viewing experience. The film
takes place in the slums of Brazil, where we are shown the poverty and
crime which surrounds millions of Brazilian children. This over populated
country provides a backdrop unlike any other you are likely to see. The
story follows 11 year old Pixote ("pee wee") as he is brought into a youth
correctional facility, his escape and ultimately his meeting with fate. The
film is an inescapable tragedy which becomes even more disturbing when knowing
that the actor who played Pixote died at such a young age and in such a
violent way. This film serves as a testament to the unwanted price many
children face, and how minute our day to day problems suddenly seem after
watching such a work of uncompromised art.

- "Zentropa" (Von Trier)Germany/Sweden:
The story of an American exile in Germany during the end of WWII. Germany
is almost like a ghost town. The only connection to life seemingly being
the constant back and forth of the trains which takes people away from their
past lives and into unknown territories. The story is very cleverly told, with
a voice over narration by Max Von Sydow playing a sort of all mighty hypnotist
who decides our principal character's destiny. The film stands out not because
of its rather simple tale, but as a visual marvel. Von Trier ("Breaking the Waves")
seems to have an inate desire to breakthrough the rules of cinema, and in
"Zentropa" (Originally titled "Europa") he comes close to fusing experimental
visual imagery with the classic Hollywood narrative. It is a an exhilirating
film to watch from beginning down to the very final frame. (Look out for
Von Trier himself making a cameo as "the Jew")

- "Toto the Hero" (Van Dormael) France:
The premise to this film is fascinating in itself: believing from as far
as one can remember that one was switched at birth with the kid across the
street. Of course, the other kid is far more priviliged and as a result,
tremendously obnoxious. What Jaco Van Dormael ("The Eighth Day") does with
this story is quite amazing. He seems to be exempt from the capacity of
self-censoring. He is willing to try everything and anything and does, succeeding
in most of his attempts (particularly the montage earlier in the film of
the family singing a snappy tune on the piano as the flowers in the garden
move to the rhythms of the song!) However, "Toto..." is not a walk in the
park. It is a very complicated film with a fascinating structure which
jumps from future to past to present without any problem. With this film,
Van Dormael accomplishes the very difficult chore of making his characters
sympathetic and not repulsive.(a major part of the plot is an implied incestual
relationship)The praise for this film was grandiose and it was honored
with an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

MY FAVORITE FILM ARTISTS - And a few of the relevant works not mentioned in the prior lists. Again, they're all in alphabetical order...but my fave is BERGMAN!!!!

9. Francois Truffaut (France)
Day for Night,
The Story of Adele H., and
Small Change

10.Billy Wilder - (US)(He was German but worked within the Hollywood system)
The Apartment,
Some Like it Hot, and
The Lost Weekend

That's it! They are all brilliant films from the greatest
minds ever to work in the seventh art. Someday I hope I
can make films one tenth as good as the ones aforementioned.
It'll take years, even decades, but I am determined to do it,
and that's the only thing I've in common with my muses.